Only when Zabriel drew near did Lion look up, noticing the light gradually fading through the gaps in the leaves and branches. His gaze pierced through the canopy, looking at the sky.
It wasn't the The Galaxy / Milky Way, but a green-glowing rift, like a massive wound left by a giant axe splitting the The Galaxy / Milky Way.
"This thing, is this why I'm separated from Terra?" he asked.
"Yes," Zabriel replied, his voice low,
"It's called The Minor Rift. It has torn a small piece of the The Galaxy / Milky Way, hindering Warp travel in our sector. We can barely make long-distance communications, and those who try suffer unspeakable harm. Furthermore, some believe the Great Rift has swallowed the other half of the The Galaxy / Milky Way."
Lion snorted, "Another'Storm of Ruin.'"
Memories flashed: stars stained with blood, daemon fortresses, and the phantom of the 'Iron Truth.' He shook off the recollections and asked, "What about Terra? How fares the Imperium's center of power now?"
"The Imperium's power structure is very stable now. The Imperial Palace Office is responsible for deliberating all matters, large and small, across the Imperium, and the friend of the emperor is now the nominal 'Regent' of the Imperium," Zabriel slowly said.
However, Lion immediately caught the key information from Zabriel's words. He instantly stood up, his eyes full of hope.
"The friend of the emperor! Malcador isn't dead! That's great! If the chancellor is..." Lion said excitedly, but Zabriel once again poured cold water on him... "No, my Lord. Malcador is dead... The current Regent is Lord Li Feng."
"Li Feng?" Lion frowned, pondering the name. However, ten thousand years ago, there was no one by that name beside his father, nor had his father ever mentioned such a person to him.
Seeing Lion lost in thought, Zabriel explained, "According to the information I currently have, Lord Li Feng is approximately 40,000 years old. He was born in the Age of Enlightenment, before humanity's golden age, and he might be the omnissiah worshipped by the Adeptus Mechanicus on Mars."
Hearing Zabriel's explanation, Lion nodded. If that was the case, then Li Feng's age and seniority were clearly greater than Malcador's, as Lion knew Malcador was born at the end of humanity's golden age, and Li Feng was even earlier.
At this moment, Zahariel said, "When I arrived on this planet, there was a Space Marine Chapter not affiliated with the Dark Angels stationed here, but they have been destroyed by a traitor warband. The people here survive only by hiding, and I protect them, nothing more."
"You've been hiding?" Lion's tone carried undisguised sarcasm.
"I wasn't hiding." Zabriel shook his head. "I was merely trying to avoid meaningless sacrifice. Without reinforcements, I couldn't both protect these people and defeat the traitors."
"Do you know what I would do?" Lion's voice sharpened. "In the jungles of Caliban, I gathered the people and exterminated all the beasts."
Zabriel nodded slightly, "Your deeds are known to all."
The old man took a deep breath, his gaze resolute, "I shall do so again."
"You wish to build a new Imperium?" Zabriel asked tentatively.
"No." Lion replied coldly, recalling unpleasant memories... Guilliman's foolish attempts! And Sanguinius's 'happy' (unhappy) face... (There's an image in the paragraph comments).
"My father was a conqueror, and I became a conqueror because of him. But that is not my true nature. I will not demand allegiance or worship from these people, but I will kill all enemies who oppress them. As for whether they follow me, that is entirely up to them."
Zabriel frowned, looking into the distance, "You intend to directly attack the Many-Eyed?"
"Yes. They will stay here." Lion's tone was filled with resolve.
Zabriel paused, then slowly said, "I can lead you to their stronghold."
"Will you still fight?" Lion stared at Zabriel, his voice calm but with a hint of challenge.
Zabriel's gaze shifted back from the distance, his voice calm yet firm, "I was once a destroyer, wielding the Legion's fiercest weapons, annihilating all enemies of humanity. Now, I have only two bolter pistols and a Chainsword left. Because of this, I chose to protect, not to risk. However..."
He paused, his gaze fixed on the Primarch's eyes: "If the Lord of the First Legion raises war, then, yes, I will fight, Your Highness."
Lion nodded, drew the small knife from his waist, wiped it clean, and re-sheathed it (he messed up). It was indeed a small tool, but he understood that the size of a weapon does not determine a warrior's will.
"Good." he said, turning and stepping forward, "Let us go and meet these traitors."
Zabriel silently followed, a long-dormant flame rekindled in his eyes.
---
"Memoirs of a Fallen Angel," from the secret archives of the Dark Angels, by "The First Lions Guard" Zahariel:
The Lord of the First Legion has returned. In some ways, he is no different from the man in my memory, but now he is also exceptionally different.
You can never forget the appearance of a Primarch, perhaps with the exception of the Alpha Legion. Besides my Primarch, I have seen four other Primarchs: Mortarion of the Death Guard, Leman Russ of the Space Wolves, Fulgrim of the Emperor's Children, and Horus Lupercal.
The image of each of them is deeply etched in my mind, or rather, their appearance before I was exiled back to Caliban. I have no way of knowing what Horus, Mortarion, or Fulgrim looked like after being touched by Chaos.
But The Lion has aged. I do not know why. He appears, as he claims, to have no memory of events after the destruction of Caliban.
Did the Dark Angels place him in an imperfect stasis field for some reason? Or did he simply sleep for ten thousand years, and this is the Primarch's physiological response to a hundred centuries?
Regardless, whether it was his grey hair or his deeply etched features, I recognized him the moment I saw those eyes. His armor was somewhat different from what I remembered, but his hairstyle, his demeanor, his aura were all unchanged. He is my gene-father, and even if his face were scarred and his clothes like a beggar's, I would recognize him.
Lion ElJonson attracts people with his power and glory, yet keeps them at a distance with his cold demeanor. His essence naturally attracts countless flatterers, but his personality constantly maintains a distance from others.
The moment you converse with him, you feel that your words are constantly being scrutinized by his standards, evaluated as to whether they are worthy of his time and effort. He is an immortal will focused on fury, and for whatever reason or how, he has reawakened and returned from the aftermath of the Great Rift tearing the The Galaxy / Milky Way apart.
I have never believed in prophecies or revelations, but this event makes me unable to think otherwise.
Since the day my other brothers inexplicably sought to murder me, I abandoned my Legion. Since my return to the material universe, I have spent centuries evading my paranoid, malicious, and hateful Legion descendants.
The Lion no longer has any authority to command me, and even if I believe he thought he was betrayed, and believe he fired on Caliban because he was attacked without warning, that is still not enough to regain my allegiance.
I have wandered alone for too long, long enough to be accustomed to making my own decisions, accustomed to relying on my own intuition to survive. He is still my gene-father, but I was not created by his own hand. Though I am no longer a pure human, isn't one of the characteristics of humanity that the authority of parents will one day be left behind you?
Therefore, when the Lord of the First Legion declared that he would wage war against Chaos, I offered him my assistance not out of duty, fear, loyalty, or adoration. What drove me was something grander.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"